Special Sections - Gala Garden 2016

Gala Garden Show

18 TH ANNUAL SOROP TIMIST

Saturday, March 19 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, March 20 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Boys & Girls Club

400 W. Fir St. Sequim SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER

MARIANNE BINETTI

Sponsored by

2016 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

7 CEDARS CASINO THE RAY AND DONNA GUERIN FAMILY FOUNDATION KITSAP BANK • KSQM MASTER GARDENERS OF CLALLAM COUNTY SEQUIM FRESH CATERING SEQUIM GAZETTE

5

$

Admission supports numerous Soroptimist projects

Speaker Schedule and Bios •

Saturday, March 19

12:30 p.m. “Lasagna Gardening” • Larry Lang

Saturday, March 19

10 a.m. — “Marking Your Garden Calendar” Panel

WSU Master Gardeners Amanda Rosenberg, Jan Bartron, Muriel Nesbitt and Jan Danford will present “Marking Your Garden Calendar” — a year’s growing season, from seed start to putting the garden to bed.

• Rosenberg is a member of the Education Committee. She shares the 2014 Master Gardener of the Year Award with Audreen Williams. She co-chairs the Master Gardener Youth Enrichment Program and volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club Garden Club.

• Nesbitt, who earned a PhD in genetics from the University of Washington, retired from teaching biology at the University of California – San Diego. She directed the Clallam County Master Gardener program from 20092012, chairs the Master Gardener Education Committee and frequently provides training on gardening on the Olympic Peninsula.

• The 2014 Master Gardener Intern of the year, Danford volunteers at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden and Youth Enrichment Program and heads the Master Gardener effort at the Boys & Girls Club.

• Bartron completed her Master Gardener training in 2012. She was born and raised in Kirkland where her mother had a large garden. She gardens on a suburban lot in Port Angeles with an interest in growing vegetables. Bartron works as an AutoCad drafter for land surveyors and gardening provides a nice balance to spending hours sitting at a computer.

11:15 a.m. — “The Sex Life of a Potato” • Muriel Nesbitt Nesbitt will talk a bit about the origins, history and varieties of potatoes, and then about the sexual propagation of potatoes from potatoes, rather than seed potatoes. Along the way she will mention some potato diseases and how they are transmitted.

Vendors for the 2016 Gala Garden Show

2 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

10 a.m.

Marking Your Garden Calendar panel 11:15 a.m.

The Sex Life of a Potato, Muriel Nesbitt 12:30 p.m.

Lasagna Gardening, Larry Lang 2 p.m.

Orchids for Beginners, Lorrie Hamilton

Sunday, March 20

11 a.m.

Seasonal Container Growing, Lorrie Hamilton 1 p.m.

Symphony in Bloom: How to Orchestrate Year-Long Color, Marianne Binetti

•

2 p.m. — “Orchids for Beginners” • Lorrie Hamilton

Sunday, March 20

Hamilton will discuss “Orchids for Beginners” on Saturday and “Seasonal Container Growing” on Sunday.

Hamilton is the Master Gardener coordinator for Clallam County. She is relatively new to the Pacific Northwest, but has over 15 years of experience working in a variety of gardens including Disney World’s Epcot, the Dallas Arboretum and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

Orchids sometimes can be an intimidating plant to care for, but with a few tips you can enjoy these beautiful plants for years to come. Attendees will learn how to identify common types of orchids and also will discover tips on how to assure your orchid re-blooms each year. There also will be a demonstration on how to repot your favorite orchids.

Aawnings and Sunrooms of Distinction Airport Garden Center American Rhododendron Society, Juan de Fuca Chapter B & B Family Farm Blooming Artichoke Herbary, The Cascade Bark & Landscape Supply Celia’s Gourmet Foods Creative Design Dave’s Metal Designs Desert Northwest, The

Dungeness Gold Family Farm Market, The Fresh Hats Freeborn Metal Art Greenhouse & Nursery, The Harmony Plantscapes Henry’s Garden Center Hot Flash Art Ila’s Gourmet Condiments J Wyatt Art Katrina’s Place

Do you want garden soil that is rich, crumbly and easy to work? How about soil that retains moisture and requires no digging? Too good to be true? Come listen as Lang shares his experience with Lasagna Gardening (also known as sheet mulching). He will show you, step by step, how to create a garden that is less work-intensive than traditional gardening methods, results in nutrient-rich soil and uses materials that may already be at hand or obtainable at little cost. Lang’s first lasagna garden “was completed in little more than a morning’s work and the results, after one growing season, were beyond my wildest imagination.”

He is a longtime Master Gardener eager to share his experience in building, planting and maintaining lasagna beds for both vegetables and flowers.

Lang will present a series of photos portraying a project of converting lawn into a garden bed. The project creating the bed took only an afternoon and the only expense was a bale of straw.

Neighbors asked what he was going to plant. Partly in jest, he responded off-the-cuff: “Corn and sunflowers of course!” The result surprised even him.

Lang is a retired national park ranger who lives in Port Angeles.

He and his wife Nancy attended the Master Gardener training in 2007. Lang’s presentation on lasagna gardening is based on a project in his front yard in 2009. The Langs’ garden was featured in the 2010 Petals and Pathways Garden Tour.

11 a.m. “Seasonal Containers” • Lorrie Hamilton

Attendees will learn how to use ornamental containers to add texture and seasonal color to their gardens. A variety of topics will be covered including choosing the best type of container for your landscape, selecting the best soil mix and deciding which plants are best for your site.

1 p.m. “Symphony in Bloom: How to Orchestrate Year-Long Color” • Marianne Binetti, featured speaker

Binetti will use a slideshow presentation demonstrating practical advice about planning for more color and using shrubs and trees for long seasons of bloom. See page 6 for more information on Binetti.

L.A. Design Lowell’s Tools Manny’s Works Mike’s Cedar Works Nash’s Organic Produce New Dungeness Nursery Oh-Growup Pacific Northwest Naturals Peninsula Nurseries, Inc. Phocas Farms Rainshadow Connections

Resonance Cards Roji Home & Garden, Inc. Sabino’s Nursery Sequim Bee Farm Skyline Plants Studio by the Creek Sunbaked Greenhouses Totally Blown Glassworks Whimsical Woods Wild Birds Unlimited Wilma’s Creations SOROPTIMIST GALA GARDEN SHOW

Miniaturist is featured artist Denise Erickson Port Angeles artist Denise Erickson is this year’s featured cover artist for the annual Gala Garden Show. “‘A Tiny Gazebo’ actually marries my first artistic influence, Japanese culture and art and my love of tiny things to photograph — the tinier the better,” Erickson said. “The color and light interplay of the plants and flowers with that cute little gazebo is my artistic statement in a photograph.

“Two favorite photos are Queen Guinevere seated on a piece of handcrafted miniature furniture from my Feather Faerie Furniture collection and Princess Mika, a 6-year-old dragon rather full of herself. I have written and illustrated with my photos several short books of inspirations, ‘story starters,’” Erickson said. “My latest, a short story about the dragon, ‘Princess Mika and the Egg,’ I hope to publish as a high interest/low reading ability fun book. Even some of my grown up friends like dragons and faeries. Who knew?”

In 2003, Erickson had just retired as a high school teacher and middle school special educator and was looking forward to doing her art full time, but in a place less hectic than Seattle.

After the many big cities she and her family had lived in for most of her life while her husband was in the military, Erickson was primed to appreciate a small town.

She said, “Then I drove into Port Angeles for the first time and knew I was really home. The Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympics so close combined with the friendliness of the good people of this town: another day in paradise!”

Having only summer breaks between school years to work on long-term art projects, Erickson was excited about being retired and creating things with fabric.

“After a while I moved into multi-media art using anything that appealed to me in my work — my favorite being a miniature shoji screen with drawings of gingko leaves done with metallic ink. Then my professional photographer brother talked me into getting a really good camera. I’ll say the rest is history. While I love macro photography — water drops having a special magic for me — as a former desert dweller, I appreciate all the flowers and plants that grow here so effortlessly. Investigating their delicate lines and color-play with light enchants me and can keep me taking photos for hours — and spending even more time than that editing.”

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Serving Sequim and surrounding area for the last 12 years

SOROPTIMIST GALA GARDEN SHOW

11 Washington Harbor Rd 360-582-9592

www.clallampud.net

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OPEN Monday- Saturday

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016 • 3

Awards

Soroptimist International of Sequim Scholarship, Awards and Community Giving Programs Nurturing — all good gardeners realize its value. Nurturing is the Soroptimist nature. The funds raised at the 18th Annual Gala Garden Show will help the continuation of that nurturing. Soroptimist International of Sequim has over 65 years of charitable giving, the majority of that is by way of awards and scholarships. College scholarships of $2,000 are given to two Sequim High School senior girls and three women who have completed one year of post-secondary education who will be continuing their education in the fall.

One of the last recipients of the Continuing Education Scholarship was a past vendor at the garden show. She was inspired to enroll at WSU to expand her career possibilities through education.

The club also nurtures through giving awards, each at $2,000. The Live Your Dream Award is offered annually to aid a female head of household to further her skills and training to upgrade her employment prospects — two of these are awarded. A Professional Technical Award is given to a student enrolled in a non-degree program leading to a certificate or license.

Soroptimist International of Sequim assists through its monetary support and time to the following organizations: The Boys & Girls Club, Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic, First Step Family Support Center, First Teacher, Greywolf and Helen Haller Elementary Schools, Healthy Families of Clallam County, Mad Hatters/ Olympic Medical Center Cancer Center Patient Navigator, Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation, OlyCAP Senior Meals Program, Rainbow Girls, Sequim Community Aid and Sequim Education Foundation.

4 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

Pussy Willows featured at Pacific Northwest Naturals

By Patricia Morrison Coate Sequim Gazette Ruthann Toney is proud to be the “propagation lady” at the Soroptimist Gala Garden Show for another year. Toney, the owner of Pacific Northwest Naturals in Sequim since 1990, has been a vendor at the show since 2001 and planted her garden with all propagated materials some 30 years ago.

“I chose the name because I thought the plants are natural in nature or it would be natural to sell them,” Toney said. “I’ve propagated from the wild and my most popular ones are native pussy willows, which has evolved into a great business. I learned to propagate at a nursery I worked for and I’ve been propagating ever since,” she laughed.

Also from native materials, she’s propagated shrubs, trees, perennials and succulents, including the rarely seen Sequim cactus, which populated the prairie more than a century ago. Methods of propagation include vegetative (cloning) cutting, division and hardwood cutting.

Toney said she thinks of each new start as a gift from the garden.

“The garden show is my coming out party in spring — I make sure I’m at that show!” she beamed.

One of her showstoppers is the native red-stemmed pussy willow, salix discolor. She also sells “bouquets” of French pussy willow and container gardens with a variety of succulents.

What sets her apart from other vendors, Toney said, is that, “I propagate my own materials — I’m totally non-commercial. When you think of a cottage industry, this is it. I also generate my own soil — there’s no packaged soil. I grow everything outside so the plants are acclimated to the environment here. The pots are heavy because the plants are planted in real earth!”

Also at the show, Toney is featuring leg and arm warmers she makes from repurposed clothing, such as sweaters, for those raw Northwest days in the garden.

Her Cozy Legs and Cozy Arms came about because, she said, “I was wearing them in the garden and I thought I might as well sell them.”

Toney also reveres heirloom varieties of roses and mock orange and encourages customers to add some heritage to their gardens, too.

Stop by the Pacific Northwest Naturals booth at the Gala Garden Show — Toney will be glad to talk about all matter of plants with you.

Ruthann Toney poses with her signature wild pussy willows, always a hit at the Gala Garden Show. Sequim Gazette photo by Patricia Morrison Coate

SOROPTIMIST GALA GARDEN SHOW

Harmony Plantscapes: Garden designer has knowledge to share

By Patricia Morrison Coate Sequim Gazette

This photo is of Tamatha St. Denis illustrating an additional key element of good garden design: Fun! She’s playing air bass at Butchart Gardens. Submitted photo

Raffle!

This rocker was donated by Mike’s Cedar Works of Port Angeles for one of the raffles. Submitted photo

SOROPTIMIST GALA GARDEN SHOW

Ga rden de sig ner Ta mat ha St. Denis, owner of Harmony Plantscapes in Sequim, has apprenticed with one of the best in the nation, Lyden B. Miller, and now is offering her expertise and imagination locally. St. Denis has been in the garden design business for 15 years, split between Connecticut and Florida, and confesses she still is waiting for winter sunshine. She also quickly corrects the misconception that she’s a landscaper.

“Landscape is basically a static thing whereas a garden is dynamic. You design and install materials in a garden but it tends to evolve in stages, so I think my area of expertise really is to get to know the people I work for and create something that is a reflection of them,” St. Denis explained.

“I am an artist and it’s very important for me that every project is different and unique. You could give me 10 different plants and 10 different people and I could

come up with 10 different gardens. There’s a real joy in giving people something they’re excited to come home to. I always look for that smile — it means I’ve done my job well.”

St. Denis said she neither likes fussy plants nor fussy gardens and promotes a naturalistic, low maintenance style.

The process of designing or redesigning a client’s garden begins with a walk through the inside and outside of the house, which tells St. Denis about the client’s tastes and style. They will discuss the client’s ideas and if they will or won’t work.

All plants are site specific, she advised, and professionals like herself know the particular requirements for each plant to thrive. The second phase is to take dimensions and design a garden blueprint and 3-D walk through on the computer, which is very realistic, St. Denis said. She loves the fact that she can make substitutions in materials with the click of a mouse. From the design plan, she generates a construction plan and buy list, overseeing her employees every step of the way.

“I’m very particular,” St. Denis said.

“The final piece is taking care of it — I prefer that my staff and I maintain it because one wrong snip can deform a tree for life and there goes your idea.”

St. Denis says in garden design, good things come in 4’s: 4 Essential Forms (Natural forms, clean lines, quality hardscaping, and round forms); 4 Necessary Layers (trees, understory trees and shrubs, perennials, and ground covers); 4 Key Elements (theme, rhythm, harmony and accent); and 4 seasons.

At the Gala Garden Show, St. Denis will design a patio in miniature and very much encourages attendees to bring an 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch photo of their gardens to discuss with her. She’ll point out the good, the bad and the ugly.

She’ll also give out a plant list of “Tamatha’s Favorites” and looks forward to sharing some garden design tips and ideas.

Reach her at tamatha@harmonyplantscapes.com.

We invite you to stop by the raffle booth at the Gala Garden Show. This year the Soroptimist raffle will include two garden wagons filled with gardening items donated by our very generous vendors. The garden wagon is a favorite at the raffle booth! Also featured will be a cedar rocking chair, donated by Mike Caldwell of Mike’s Cedar Works. This rocker is a beauty and will enhance your enjoyment of the warm summer days we are all looking forward to. There will be additional items that are sure to please any gardener. Raffle tickets are $3 apiece and you will have your choice of which item to try to win.

New this year, we will be giving out random door prizes. You must be present to win, which makes attending the 2016 Gala Garden Show the place to be on March 19- 20!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016 • 5

Featured Speaker: Marianne Binetti Marianne Binetti will be speaking at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 20. Her topic will be “Symphony in Bloom: How to orchestrate year-long color.” She will use a slideshow presentation demonstrating practical advice about planning for more color and using shrubs and trees for long seasons of bloom.

Binetti is a Northwest horticultural expert. She has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and writes a syndicated gardening column that runs in over a dozen newspapers each week including the The Tacoma News Tribune (Sundays) and The Daily Olympian (Saturdays). She also has written or co-written 10 gardening books including “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and her latest book “Edible Gardening for Washington and Oregon.” She lectures and gives seminars on a variety of topics, appears weekly in the summer on her show “Dig in Seattle” and leads garden tours around the world with her husband Joe. She lives with her family in Enumclaw, near Seattle.

Marianne Binetti will be speaking next door at the elementary school. Admission to the Garden Show gets you into this session. Following her presentation, Marianne will be back at the Boys & Girls Club signing copies of her popular gardening book.

My blue and yellow garden in May. Learn how to have more drama without the drinking problems in your garden. These plants are drought, slug and deer resistant. Many of my talks teach what plants to grow that are the most practical for different climates. Note the blue bird house and blue-painted gate in the background. This is because I have trouble growing blue delphiniums — so I use blue paint instead.

Soroptimist:

Connected to the community Connecting — it’s one of the things Soroptimists do well.

We connect women and girls with resources to empower them. Soroptimist International of Sequim is just shy of 70 years, but members are not shy about assisting and supporting a variety of programs and local charitable organizations.

Soroptimist International of Sequim has a presence in the community and is known for its Medical Loan Closet, which has been serving residents for 40 years,

and for its scholarships and awards. The Medical Loan Closet provides on loan, durable medical equipment to individuals in the Sequim School District. This can be a wheelchair, walker or other assistive device when an individual is recovering or limited in his or her mobility.

For over 30 years Soroptimist has been giving graduating seniors and women in Sequim support to enhance their education or work careers — empowering them to improve their lives.

The organization is developing a signa-

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6 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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ture project — Soroptimist Helping Empowering (SHE). This currently includes tutoring and book clubs at the elementary schools, with expansion to other grades in the future.

There also is a plan for outreach to adult women in the form of seminars. Members further connect with the community by providing supplies for foster children and victims of domestic violence, and funding and care to community agencies whose missions align with Soroptimist International of Sequim.

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Sponsors

Sequim Fresh Catering keeps Garden Café fresh again!

Soroptimist member Paulette Hill and husband Rick, owners of Sequim Fresh Catering, responded with a hearty, “We’ll do it again!” when asked for ideas for the 2016 Garden Show Café.

Thanks to Sequim Fresh Catering’s generous donation, the café will offer two delicious soups each day, one vegetarian and one meat-based, along with a variety of cookies, including a gluten-free option.

The club also will provide scrumptious salads to round out the luncheon items available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Beverages will include lemonade, Rainshadow coffee and bottled water.

Sequim Fresh Catering’s fare is a culinary delight. The Hills excel in cooking up “fresh” and healthy dishes — made with ingredients from local farmers and producers. This year begins the two-person company’s fifth season in Sequim, extending their 20-plus years informal Seattle catering reputation.

Sequim Fresh Catering provides buffetstyle presentations for up to 80 people and can grill on site whatever delights the palate.

For more information about Sequim Fresh Catering, contact the Hills at www.sequimfresh.com, 683-8575 or info@sequimfresh.com.

Soroptimist International of Sequim wishes to thank its 2016 sponsors. Our sponsorships include several giving categories.

PLATINUM SPONSORS

7 Cedars Casino The Ray & Donna Guerin Family Foundation Kitsap Bank KSQM Master Gardeners of Clallam County Sequim Fresh Catering Sequim Gazette

SILVER SPONSORS

Alder Wood Bistro Elaine and Mike Churchill Linda and Larry Klinefelter Mr. and Mrs. Larry E. McHugh, The Sequim Stow Places Sound Community Bank The UPS Store Windermere Sequim

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3501 W. 18th St., Port Angeles 417-4874 • Mon-Sat 9-5 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016 • 7

Read labels carefully. Look for key words including CAUTION, WARNING and DANGER Labels won’t tell you if a chemical is

dangerous to fish or animals or harmful to water supplies or environment. Chemicals can concentrate up the food chain to a toxic level in larger animals and can have long-term harmful effects with low exposure over long periods. Always buy and use the least toxic cleaners & pesticide you can.

Use less toxic alternatives. For household cleaning,

use baking soda, vinegar, salt and Murphy’s Oil Soap to clean windows, sinks, floors, ovens, drains, and bowls. Call (360) 417-2258 or go to www.clallam.net/EnvHealth for a Clean Green Recipe Card. Pesticides can contain chemicals that are hazardous in large quantities.

Create your own compost. Kitchen scraps (no

meats, fats, or grease) and yard clippings decompose to form a nutrient rich mixture that: feeds the soil, retains moisture, prevents erosion, improves plant growth, reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides.

Moderate Risk Waste Facility Hours of Operation Free to all residents

The MRW facility does not accept: latex paint leaking or empty containers household batteries asbestos explosives compressed gas containers business waste

Old paint is very toxic- likely containing lead and mercury. DO NOT USE OLD PAINT! Take to the Moderate Risk Waste Facility Region Transfer Station

“Household Hazardous Wastes” include...

• Pesticides & weed killer • Oil based paints and stains, thinners and solvents • Household batteries • Hobby chemicals • Cleaning supplies • Old gasoline & used motor oil • Anti-freeze & car batteries

For more information about recycling, garbage collection and waste reduction, go to Transfer Station Recycling Clallam County HHS (360)417-4875 (360)417-4874 Environmental Health transferstation@cityofpa.us recycling@cityofpa.us (360)417-2258 www.clallam.net

Don’t pour used oil, anti-freeze or paint down a street grate, on roads or on the ground: It will end up in our water supply!

Wed & Sat 11am - 4pm

More fertilizer does not mean green grass!

Fertilizer runoff also feeds stream & lake algae blooms that die off, decompose and suffocate fish.

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Safely dispose of Household Hazardous Waste at the

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Visit our Re-Use area to check out free items in good conditions left by other people.

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Pesticides usually contain deadly, toxic poisonsHANDLE WITH CARE or better yet, use natural, non-toxic alternatives.

Do not apply pesticides when flowers are in bloom. Bees can pick up the pesticides and carry it back to the hive killing off the entire colony. No bees: No honey, No pollination, No flowers, No fruit.